


Giving Thanks

by MyJediLife



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alcohol, Angst with a Happy Ending, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Ben is a lawyer, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Falling In Love, Fireplaces, Fluff and Angst, Inappropriate Use of jazz music, Leia is meddlesome, Matchmaking Skywalker style, Oral Sex, Rey Needs A Hug (Star Wars), Rey is Leias PA, Sex, Snow, Snowball Fight, Stranded Together, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Dinner, Vaginal Sex, What Could Possibly Go Wrong?, snow shovelling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:02:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27673736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyJediLife/pseuds/MyJediLife
Summary: Every year for Thanksgiving, Ben Solo makes a cross country trip to spend it with his parents in their cabin in Vermont. This year, she has invited her personal assistant, Rey, to join them. What could possibly go wrong?
Relationships: Rey & Ben Solo, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 17
Kudos: 68
Collections: A Fall Reylo Exchange





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Darkangel4066](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkangel4066/gifts).



> Thanks to [redacted] for the beta, and [redacted] for the moodboard.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this, Jessica, and please know that... well... tentacles are coming. Arrrrrrrrgh, it'll be kraken-y, tentacle-y goodness.
> 
> Until then, have some fluff?

[ ](https://imgur.com/kPhJtyx)

It was the end of November, which meant one thing to Ben Solo—a week at his parents’ cabin, all of them pretending to be a family. They’d get drunk and watch stupid rom-com’s as they pretended to actually get along. Of course, it would snow. You could always fucking count on it to snow in Vermont on Thanksgiving, and he and his Dad would work together to shovel the half-mile long driveway. Even though they were millionaires several times over, Han refused to buy a machine that could plow the driveway for him, insisting it was “good for his heart.”

Ben had moved to California after college for a reason. He’d wanted to be as far away from his parents as humanly possible. It also didn’t hurt that living on the West Coast meant the entire span of the United States stood between him and his ex-fiancée, who he never wanted to lay eyes on again. The last time he had seen her, she had been fucking his supposed best friend in their bed. The next day, he had sent movers to pack up her things and relocate her, and had tried not to think about her since. Selling the apartment, he’d accepted a job offer from Alistair Snoke, and left them all behind.

He hated coming back for the annual ritual torture.

Sighing as he stepped off the jet bridge and into the airport, Ben rolled his eyes as a shriek sounded from the terminal somewhere in front of him.

“Benny! I think you get taller every time I see you! Welcome home, son!” Leia Organa-Solo barreled through the throngs of people waiting for their loved ones to disembark, wrapping her arms around her only child as she reached him.

Ben patted her back gently, mumbling, “I haven’t grown any since I was 17. Hello, Mother.”

Leia stepped back and patted his cheek before letting Ben straighten to his full height. “Dad’s outside waiting in the car with Rey. Oh, I forgot to mention that, didn’t I? My PA doesn’t have any family, so I invited her to come to the cabin to celebrate Thanksgiving with us.”

“Better buy more booze than last year,” Ben muttered as they walked towards the baggage claim, earning a reproachful look from his mother.

Leia was unfazed by his dark mood as they stood waiting for his bags. “I at least called in a chef for this year’s meal. I can’t believe the turkey was that inedible last year. I followed that recipe to a tee, and yet…”

“And yet you drank too much wine and let it burn in the oven. I remember,” Ben deadpanned, cutting his mother off mid-sentence. He sighed as he stepped forward to pick up his suitcase when it appeared on the conveyor belt, turning to walk with her towards the exit.

Ben rolled his eyes again when he spotted his Dad leaning on the hood of their Cadillac, waiting. Han grinned as he caught sight of his son, pushing a button on the key fob in his hand to open the trunk.

“Hey, kid,” he said to his son while Ben tossed his bags into the trunk. “Go easy on her, okay? Retirement is not treating her kindly. She’s ornery as hell.” 

Ben slammed the trunk shut, looking at his father before remarking, “I’ll try to keep that in mind.” 

Turning, he opened the back door and slid inside, stopping as his eyes met those of a beautiful woman with chestnut hair and sparkling hazel eyes.

“Who the fuck are you?” Ben barked out, his eyes narrowing, then remembering his mother had invited a charity case to Thanksgiving.

“I’m Rey,” the woman said stiffly, her smile fading as she nonetheless offered a hand for him to shake.

Ben just glowered at her until she lowered her hand, her face darkening in embarrassment. “I’m surprised Leia even mentioned she had a son,” he remarked darkly, turning his head to look out the window.

“And what a charming son he is,” Rey retorted before digging earbuds out of her pocket and popping them in.

~!~!~!~

Rey Sands had always been a misfit. “Plutt’s foster kid from the junkyard,” “Junkyard Trash Girl,” and “Junk Girl” were all names she had been called throughout her teens. Although it stung, she had hardened her heart and learned to take care of herself because no one else would. 

She’d had one friend in school, another foster kid named Finn Storm. Unlike her, he’d had a foster family that gave a shit about him. When Finn had started dating, Rey had always tagged along with his group of friends, but she had never fit in. She wasn’t wired like everyone else, and found drinking and gossiping boring.

Now, she found herself delegated back to misfit status with the arrival of Ben Solo. 

Rey had grown fond of Leia and her uncouth husband, and had even started to think of them as the parents she never had. The work was easy and it paid well, which didn’t hurt either. She had one semester left at NYU before she’d have her degree in engineering, and Leia had already gotten her the internship of her dreams with Resistance Engineering. This really was a dream job.

Or so she’d thought until just now.

Florence + The Machine filled her ears as she saw Leia throw a look over her shoulder at her son, and Rey did her best to ignore his brooding presence in the seat next to her.

This was going to be a long two weeks.

~!~!~!~

Later, Rey stood in the doorway of the room Leia had pointed her to once they’d arrived at the cabin, silently awed at how big it was. The floor-to-ceiling windows let in the light, allowing her a view of the forest, coated in a light dusting of snow already. 

“Rey? Is the room okay? You can stay in a different one if it’s not to your liking!” Leia appeared behind her, making Rey jump at first. Recovering, she smiled at her boss, hand pressed to her chest.

“It’s gorgeous, Leia. Thanks! It’s bigger than my entire apartment, to be honest.” Rey stepped further into the room, looking around before plopping her bags down on the bed.

“There’s a full bathroom with a jacuzzi tub through that door,” Leia pointed to the door on the opposite wall before continuing, “Han and I are two doors down on the same side of the hall as this, and Ben is across the hall, if you need anything. The chef said dinner will be ready at seven, and here is the internet password along with some information that you may need while you’re here.”

Leia handed her a slip of paper, and Rey nodded gratefully. “Thanks for inviting me, Leia. I really appreciate it.”

Leia patted her upper arm and nodded. “You deserve to have some relaxation time, Rey. You work hard—for me and your degree program. Just enjoy it, all right? I’ll have you running around and you’ll be back in classes before you know it.”

“I’ll try,” Rey assured her with a smile, and Leia returned it before heading down the stairs towards the large family room. 

Rey took the time to unpack before going to the large windows and gazing out over the forest, marvelling at how pristine and white everything looked. It was so different from the gray and dismal tones of New York City in late fall and winter. With everything tucked away, she decided to wander around the ‘cabin’...which was actually more of a  _ mansion  _ tucked away in the forest.

As she wandered from room to room, Rey wondered what her life may have been like if she’d been Han and Leia’s child. Would she be rude and superior like Ben? She’d like to think growing up in privilege wouldn’t have changed who she was inside.

~!~!~!~

After dinner, Rey spent her first night tucked in front of the fire, listening to Han and Leia argue playfully over which Hallmark movie they should watch. Ben didn’t make an appearance, and after her hosts went off to bed, Rey just sat there, watching the snow start to fall outside. 

The rattle of ice cubes from the kitchen made her get up finally, her stomach rumbling and reminding her that there was a well-stocked refrigerator on the premises. As she stepped into the room, she was surprised to see that it was Ben standing there, pouring a glass of scotch.

“Are you a night owl, too?” Rey asked, making her way to the fridge and opening it to survey the choices inside for a late night snack.

“You think of Han and Leia as replacements for your parents, don’t you? They’ll only disappoint you, trust me.” Ben’s voice was a low rumble, and Rey turned, her eyes narrowing in offense.

“You’re an arsehole. You don’t deserve your parents.” Rey spat her words at him, but then was instantly horrified with herself. It wasn’t in her nature to be rude to someone she had just met, but hearing him speak of Han and Leia like that had raised her hackles.

“Yes. I am. And you are so right. As it stands, they  _ are  _ my parents, not yours. So, excuse me for warning you that they will disappoint you like they did me.” Ben shrugged and gulped down the whole glass of scotch, immediately pouring a fresh one. “I’m just trying to do you a favor.”

Rey tilted her head as she looked at him, seeing more than most would. “You may act like the big corporate lawyer arsehole to everyone, but I’ve always been good at reading people. I think you’re scared—scared of your own feelings for them. You should try to keep your temper under control, though, because your parents should be allowed some time with their only child without him constantly fighting them.  _ They’re _ the ones who deserve better.” 

Rey turned away from him, going back to picking a snack. Behind her, she heard Ben toss the scotch back and slam his glass down. 

“We’ll see,” he all but hissed at her, his heavy footsteps fading away as he left.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Han chuckled and asked, “So, what do you think of this girl, Rey?”
> 
> Ben responded without even thinking, “I don’t.”
> 
> Han just looked at him, raising a brow and waiting for his son’s explanation.
> 
> With a sigh, Ben rolled his eyes and said, “She’s one of Mom’s charity cases. There’s nothing to think about.”

Ben tried to split his time between his room and the garage, where he could bang out his frustrations and anger with a wrench or a hammer on his Dad’s old rustbucket of a Falcon. The car had been around since before he was born, and Ben was certain it would still be around if he ever had kids.

Not that he wanted kids. He was too fucked up to even consider  _ dating _ , much less having children. He hated people, he hated the whole facade of trying to pretend that he liked being anywhere but at home or the office. He hated trying to pretend he cared about some simpering blonde’s non-existent modeling career, or the commercial for a local car dealership that she had been in.

All they saw was his money, anyway. No one ever tried to get to know him, not really. hy would they? Ben could barely tolerate being inside his own skin.

Ben heard a step and looked out from where he was perched underneath the Falcon on a creeper, snorting as his Dad’s face appeared. 

“Beer break, kid. Come on out and drink one with your old man.” 

As Ben pushed himself out from under the car, Han tossed him a shop towel to wipe his hands on before handing him a beer and pointing to where two chairs were set up near the wood stove in one corner.

After they were both settled into their chairs, and had knocked back the first swallows of beer, Han looked at Ben, shaking his head and letting out a chuckle. “I dunno how you do it, kid.”

“Do what?” Ben questioned before taking another long swallow from his bottle.

“Hold your shit together like you do when Leia pushes your buttons like I know she does. She pushes mine, too, but you hold it together better than I do. “ Han shrugged, and Ben eyed him for a moment before replying with a shrug of his own.

“Good genetics on my paternal side, I guess.”

Han chuckled and asked, “So, what do you think of this girl, Rey?”

Ben responded without even thinking, “I don’t.”

Han just looked at him, raising a brow and waiting for his son’s explanation.

With a sigh, Ben rolled his eyes and said, “She’s one of Mom’s charity cases. There’s nothing  _ to  _ think about.”

Light footsteps sounded behind them, and the door leading into the garage slammed. Ben flinched, realizing that Rey must have been behind them the whole time.

“Well, I guess that’s that, kid. She sure is quiet. I didn’t see her, either. Leia is probably going to chew your ass for that.” Han shrugged and took a swallow of beer again before remarking, “Rey isn’t just a charity case, though, Ben. She’s different, and she’s worked her ass off for everything she’s gotten in life.”

“That’s Mom’s favorite kind of charity case, Dad. I’ll take my ass chewing as gracefully as I can, but I can’t guarantee I won’t need to hit something later.” Ben shrugged, already knowing the way things would go down. His mother would berate him in her office for hurting Rey, Ben would get pissed off and need to hit something—or drink himself into a stupor.

Han chuckled and pointed to the punching bag hanging in the corner. “Have at it, kid. I have to hit the thing a couple of times a day, myself. God love her, though, because we can’t change her.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Ben replied. 

Both men fell silent, enjoying their pain and racing thoughts in silence.

~!~!~!~

Rey was used to people judging her. 

Her parents had left her on the steps of a police station in her pram as a baby. She had grown up poor, bouncing from foster home to foster home. When she had aged out, she’d worked her ass off at whatever jobs she could get, and saved every penny until she could afford to move to America to attend college.

She was used to people judging her...but she wasn’t a charity case. 

Fighting back tears, Rey wandered through the house until she was standing on the back patio. She shivered, realizing that she hadn’t grabbed her jacket on the way through the house. The air was crisp and clean, though, and she breathed it in deeply, loving the way the light scent of pine mingled with the fresh snow in the air.

“I see you’ve found my hiding spot,” Leia’s voice came to her from the doorway, and Rey half-turned to smile at her boss.

“Did you need something, Leia?” Rey asked softly, hoping that she hadn’t been looking for her too long.

Leia waved her hand dismissively as she stepped onto the patio, a glass of wine in one elegant hand. “No, not at all. There’s just too much testosterone inside. I needed to get away from it. How many games of pool can two grown men play while they drink whiskey, or work on that death trap of Han’s?”

Rey gave a little giggle, agreeing with Leia.

“I love this cabin,” Leia said, nostalgia slipping into her voice. “We used to come here every year for vacation in the summer. My brother Luke and his wife would join us, and one year my parents even came for a few weeks. Those were good times.” Leia took a sip from her glass before heaving a sigh. “Then Ben got older, and angrier, and we just ignored this place for years while we dealt with the angst of a growing teenage boy.”

Rey simply nodded, not sure how to respond. “I love it here, as well. It’s so quiet and peaceful.”

Leia patted her shoulder. “Enjoy it, Rey. You deserve some peace and happiness, given how hard you work.”

“Thanks,” Rey said softly, turning and listening to the bird song as Leia went back inside.

~!~!~!~

  
  


Ben did his best to avoid female company for the rest of the day, wondering when his mother planned on pulling him into her office to chastise him for his treatment of her newest pet project.

When Leia had headed to bed, Han simply shrugging at him as he followed his wife, Ben felt uneasy. Surely Rey had gone to her boss to complain about how rude he had been.

And he  _ had  _ been rude. Deep inside, Ben knew he shouldn’t have said it, but his mother was infamous for helping those she saw as less fortunate than most. He didn’t know Rey. He wouldn’t get to know her, either. In less than two weeks, he would fly back to his life in Los Angeles, and she would be nothing more than another forgettable PA who worked for Leia Organa-Solo.

Heaving a sigh of frustration, Ben glanced down at his now-empty glass, deciding he needed one more drink before he tried to sleep. Sleep had never come easily for him. His mind simply had a hard time shutting off.

Unexpectedly, the sound of Duke Ellington’s “Jeep Blues” drifted to his ears from the family room, and Ben stopped just outside the doorway, peering in curiously. Rey sat in front of the old console stereo that had been there since the late 70’s, her head down as she swayed slightly from side to side to the music.

Ben stepped into the room, admiring the way the reflection from the flames danced off her chestnut hair. It was the first time he’d stopped to really look at her. 

“Jeep’s Blues. Ellington at Newport, 1956,” he recited from memory. “That performance saved his career.”

Rey jumped, spinning to meet his gaze, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. “Um, your Dad, Han—I mean, Mr. Solo… he told me I could listen to his music!” 

The last thing she wanted was for Ben to assume she was helping herself to his father’s possessions. He already had a low enough opinion of her. No need to give him more fuel for the fire. She was shocked when Ben let out a low chuckle as he moved into the room, an empty whiskey glass in his hand.

“If you wanted to listen to Han’s collection, you would have to listen to the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, AC/DC, Bob Seger, Creedence Clearwater Revival or Van Halen. This is from  _ my  _ collection.” Ben watched as Rey’s face colored more, the light from the fire now highlighting the amber and green flecks in her eyes.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t know! I thought they were all Han’s!” Rey turned to pull the needle off the record, stopping when Ben motioned her to leave it.

“Please don’t.,” he said, surprisingly gentle. “I haven’t listened to it in a while.”

Rey froze, her hand hovering over the record player, unsure. Seeing he meant it, she let it go, turning to look at him. 

“I’ll leave you to it, then. Have a good night.” 

As she started towards the door, Ben reached out, grabbing her arm. Her eyes snapped up to his, ready for a rematch of the other night, but she saw something inside his gaze she hadn’t seen before.

Kindness.

“I’m sorry for earlier. I shouldn’t have said what I did. Stay and listen to the record with me while I have another drink...please?” His eyes turned soft as Rey looked at him for a pregnant moment before relenting, nodding her head.

“Thank you,” she whispered as she walked back to the stereo, settling herself back into the same position he had found her in. Ben went to the mini bar in the corner, refilling his glass with ice and scotch before making his way back across the room and sitting on the couch.

“This is one of the best albums of all time,” he murmured. “I listened to it constantly while studying for the bar exam after I graduated from Columbia. It helped me—”

“Focus.” Rey finished for him, bringing her head up as she spun around so that she could look up at him with excitement from her position on the floor. “It helps me focus too. For my exams.”

Ben nodded, letting a slow smile crawl onto his face. “I, um, I’m surprised you like jazz music. Not many people like you—” Ben stopped when Rey interrupted once more, his smile fading, seeing the look on her face.

“Like me? A…what was the term…charity case? Just because I’m an orphan who grew up in the foster care system doesn’t mean I don’t have class!” Rey’s eyes were fiery with anger, and Ben froze for a moment, realizing what his words must have sounded like to her after his earlier faux pas.

“Actually, I meant your age group, Rey. You don’t find many people in their twenties who like jazz music. I am truly sorry for my statement earlier. It was rude and thoughtless. While Leia does take care of those who didn’t grow up filthy rich like she did, I should have been more sensitive. I am surprised she hasn’t chewed my ass yet for being so rude.”

She was silent for a long time before speaking again, picking at the thick carpet with her fingers as she blushed in embarrassment. “I was placed with a woman who’d grown up in Haiti before moving to England. She loved jazz music. That’s where I found my love for it.”

Rey paused again, letting the music wash over her and closing her eyes a minute more before she opened them again to look at Ben. “She hasn’t chewed your ass because I didn’t tell her,” Rey stated bluntly. “I fight my own battles, and perhaps she didn’t need someone telling her what a rude arsehole her only child is. I’m used to fighting for myself because no one else has ever done it for me. You learn to take care of yourself when you’re a throwaway foster kid.” 

Ben barked out a laugh before taking a long drink from his glass and remarking, “Oh, she is quite aware of what an asshole I am.” 

A new respect was blooming inside him for Rey with every moment that passed in her presence. He was seeing something inside her he hadn’t expected, and that he hadn’t seen in any of Leia’s previous PA’s: a resilience that came from deep inside. Rey hadn’t let the world drag her down. She had resisted, and was making something of herself. He could respect that. 

“I am really sorry, though. For what I said, and for what you must have gone through growing up. I always thought I had so many problems.”

Rey looked at him for a moment, then cracked a smile. “You just proved my theory right, by the way. You aren’t a  _ complete _ arsehole.”

Ben just shook his head, but the smile stayed on his face as they settled in to share a common love of music in front of the fire on a cold winter night. As the last chords of the album faded, Ben opened his eyes to find Rey standing in front of him, a smile on her face and her hand extended. 

“Let’s start over, shall we? Hi, I’m Rey. Pleasure to meet you.”

Ben quirked a brow upwards as he took Rey’s hand, shaking it firmly and remarking, “The pleasure is all mine, Rey. I’m Ben Solo.”

Their eyes stayed locked as a strange tension filled the air between them before Rey broke it by pulling her hand away from his, her smile brightening more as she murmured, “Good night, Ben. See you in the morning.”

As she left the room, Ben knew he would sleep well that night—because when he woke, he would get to see Rey again.


End file.
